Betweenside
So far, so good! A chilling and intriguing little Gothic tale with some innovative ideas on interactive storytelling. I will update this review as I keep playing and have more things to say.
– Real player with 2.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Gothic Indie Games.
5.5/10
Although I recall writing a paper on “Gothic” literature in college, I can’t recall any hallmarks of the genre. I thought the idea of “rewriting the story” was a neat one, and was amused by the way that some of my revisions were then featured in the game’s environments (on a trophy or on posters). The game involves moving from object to object revealing brief vignettes, choosing whether to rewrite this part of the history and which of Victor’s family members to bequeath the item to.
However, I had difficulty figuring out who was speaking during the game’s vignettes, and therefore had difficulty choosing exactly how I might want to rewrite the situation. In addition, the game did not communicate exactly how much of each story I would be rewriting. I might want to alter one line, but upon choosing the rewrite option, almost the entire vignette was erased. Lastly, I just didn’t like the personality of the family lawyer that I was playing. His views on the importance of a military career and the incompetence of a more sedentary career clashed somewhat violently with my own.
– Real player with 1.8 hrs in game
TEOCIDA
Teocida is an esoteric experience focused on puzzles, cloning mechanics, platforming challenges and experimental elements. Explore the enigmatic passageways of a twisted microcosm filled with symbolic faith landscapes and erotic nightmares.
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Dirty and ugly experimental graphics made using different digital and handcrafted techniques.
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Clairvoyance evaluation with Zener cards!
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Seven principles to absorb.
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Multi-layered easter eggs for the most dedicated candidates.
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Customizable game speed for moments that call for quick reflexes.
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Content filtering setting for streamers or speedrunners.
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Not a metroidvania.
After her doctrine falls into oblivion, an infamous seer embarks on a journey to find suitable successors that can keep her philosophy alive.
Classic and straightforward gameplay with simple and intuitive controls. Uncomplicated mechanics with puzzles of increasing difficulty.
We are currently accepting new candidates, apply for the Metaphysical Aptitude Program now!
The program is designed to conduct experiments in extrasensory perception, subliminal effectivity, logic ability (problem solving), and response to audiovisual stimuli.
Content is not recommended for people who suffer from photosensitive epilepsy.
This game deals with some themes that can be considered taboo or uncomfortable for some players, the game is not suitable for children.
Read More: Best Gothic Horror Games.
Pale Cachexia
Beautiful Sadness
Lonely. This is the first word that greets you when you start Pale Cachexia. Alone in the dark wood. The contrast between forest’s spring awakening and “ghostly gloom” of the night, with “rustling sounds of crickets”, nocturnal creatures and “ominous howls”, the feeling that someone is breathing right behind you while you venture among the endless unmoving trees - all set the mood of the VN right from the start and mark it as decidedly Gothic and Romanticist. With a sense of crippling loneliness and smallness the main character Esther stumbles through this vast, misty forest in search of a cure for her terminal illness, and finds herself in a gloomy Gothic manor, almost like she just stepped into a dream.
– Real player with 12.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Gothic Dark Fantasy Games.
Short Review:
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Kinetic visual novel (no choices)
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Complexity in story and characters
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Heavy topics of death, illness, grief, guilt, and loneliness
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Somewhat open ending
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Nice art, including unlockables
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Soundtrack that perfectly enhances mood
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Overall an atmospheric, emotional story I enjoyed!
Full Review:
What an atmospheric, emotionally complex story. This kinetic novel (visual novel without any choices) has elements of horror and fantasy, and there are some creepy parts, but it’s mostly mysterious and melancholic, dealing with the heavy topics of death/dying, illness, grief, guilt, and loneliness.
– Real player with 8.7 hrs in game
Red Embrace: Mezzanine
Red Embrace: Mezzanine is a short (~1 hour or even less) free visual novel with point-&click elements, 2 endings rewarded with 2 achs. Unfortunately, for now the game has limited features, so those achs won’t appear on steam profile((
I’m sure even if someone didn’t play Red Embrace or Red Embrace: Hollywood the game will be interesting enough. I have almost nothing to complain about: visuals are great, music is perfect to set that gloomy mood, the writing is so potent dragging you deep into that dark atmosphere. That’s really amazing how that short story, maybe not even the whole story but some kind of prologue for the future game, can awake such powerful emotions. Really impressive!
– Real player with 3.2 hrs in game
As usual, fine. As usual, there is a light sadness after passing the game. And not only because the story itself is sad, because it concerns loneliness, loss and hopelessness, but because it shows us what we dream about at some point. We all probably dreamed that on some day someone (and preferably some handsome guy) would offer us to change our lives. But this did not happen.
It’s very nice that the story echoes Red Embrace: Hollywood. I am very glad that I somehow found Argent Games.
Как обычно, прекрасно. Как обычно, после прохождения игры возникает легкая грусть. И не только потому, что сама история печальна, ведь она касается одиночества, потери и безнадежности, но и потому, что она показывает нам, о чем мы мечтаем в какой-то момент. Мы все, наверное, мечтали, что когда-нибудь кто-нибудь (и желательно какой-нибудь красавчик) предложит нам изменить нашу жизнь. Но этого не произошло.
– Real player with 2.9 hrs in game
Dante’s Hotel
Dante’s Hotel is a first-person psychological horror game.
Assume the role of Dante, a soul in search of redemption and experience every
battle and terrifying events up-close, through a first-person perspective.
Explore a mysterious ever-changing hotel in a reinterpretation of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem (The Divine Comedy), and enjoy a genuinely terrifying experience.
Experience survival horror like never before.
You’ll wander through dark corridors, explore every room and get lost in endless mazes. This twisted environment is full of lost and demonic souls.
Westmark Manor
Just completed the game and I loved it! There are some issues with bugs, which caused me to have to restart the game a few times. I suspect that the issues will be dealt with because the developers seem to be paying attention.
What I enjoyed about the game:
1. There’s an immensely creepy house to explore, with lots of nooks and crannies! There are plenty of fun surprises behind locked/ barricaded/ boarded shut doors. Keys, axes, and puzzles help to get you into them.
2. The sound effects, music, and somewhat flat tone of the main character suits the genre and adds well to the atmosphere. The giant-headed-guardian-of-stuff has the most entertaining voice. I’ll be thinking “Damn. Daft. House” randomly for days, I just know it.
– Real player with 78.8 hrs in game
A fun, horror-adventure title.
While still rough around the edges, and greatly needing more optimization, Westmark Manor still manages to be a lot of fun once you get a handle of its core gameplay. While the mansion’s layout is largely fixed, many items are randomized, prompting exploration of the dark abode as you look for clues to solve the puzzles, which manage to be strange and as bizarre as their Lovecraftian inspirations, yet still manage to remain in the realm of sensible compared to other adventure titles and their extreme sense of logic.
– Real player with 21.2 hrs in game
The Land of Crows
One of the best portrayals of Cthulhu Mythos and Poe out there. Definitely a perfect lovecraftian game in my opinion. The game offers an amazing atmosphere of a desperate land full of polish culture. In fact, one can learn so much from playing this game. Inspirations are very promising and the game provides everything it claims. A really well-written and grim interactive book to read, so to speak.
The somber tale of a very romantic and “curious” polish nobleman filled with a lot of suffering and sorrow for melancholy fans. The most underrated game, I would say.
– Real player with 10.1 hrs in game
An interesting adventure game that’s filled with Polish history, strange entities and ghosts, but there are a few areas that could be improved upon.
Intro
The Land of Crows is an indie side-scrolling horror adventure game that’s heavily inspired by gothic writer’s of old, such as Edgar Allen Poe and Goete. It was also inspired by classic thriller adventure games of the 90’s, which is why it utilizes an old school art style. When I first discovered the game it immediately reminded me think of games like Downfall or The Cat Lady due to its art style but this is a very different entity in its own right. Do read on to see what I thought of the game.
– Real player with 8.8 hrs in game
恶灵退散 Go Back to Hell
the art style is cool and the sound track slaps but this is just an eye spy game for anyone thats confused by the description like i was, theres no instructions or dialog your just looking for the weird things in each image with no other context. so ya if plot is what your looking for and not just an ideal thing this isnt it but its nice none the less 3
– Real player with 2.3 hrs in game
Shining Hotel: Lost in Nowhere
Since I’ve opted to thumb this game up, I should start this review with a highly emphatic disclaimer, namely:
DO NOT BUY THIS GAME AT FULL PRICE, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I bought it in a pack with another game for a smidgen under ten dollars, and it was still FAR TOO MUCH. This game is very, VERY short (twenty minutes, tops), and worth maybe two bucks at best. That said: I’ve never thumbed a game down purely on the basis of its price, and I’m not about to start here. You have, however, been warned. On with the review, then…
– Real player with 1.3 hrs in game
nice experience, good story.. but very bad gameplay!
what is horror to these developers? seriously, is this even scary?
it’s more than a walking simulator!
I’m ok with the game length that everybody’s complaining about, but it’s not horror at all
it doesn’t worth this amount of money..
I’m sorry, but this is the truth
– Real player with 0.9 hrs in game
Terrordrome - Reign of the Legends
Absolute waste of money, would not recommend, I think I might’ve actually found the most bottom of the barrel game on here. I remember playing the demo version of this game way back in 2018 during their Kickstarter. The demo was slow and clunky and heavily filled with glitches, but since it was a demo I thought they might improve as development went on, it’s 2021 now and this game still doesn’t feel like it’s worth wasting $15, not even if it was on sale for $5. I mean what could you expect from a game that only has like 2 people working on it, 1 person working on the animations and the other working on the coding. Playing the game feels like if it’s devoid of any testers, I’m guessing that’s where the player comes in. You can tell this is one of the those half-baked, mobile games where they expect the player/buyer to report things wrong with their game so the devs could fix it while at the same time make vlogs and livestreams about their joke of a project. I’d recommend anything else, anything!
– Real player with 61.7 hrs in game
If you’re a fan of the first Terrordrome: Rise of the Boogeymen, and more importantly familiar with how to play the previous entry, you’ll find that it’s sequel Terrordrome: Reign of the Legends is worth your while. Even if you’re new to the series, this is a simple fighting game with a multitude of complex mechanics that are fun to explore.
As of writing this review, the is in an Early Access version, so understand that the game is incomplete. The developers, who consist of a small indie team, are actively working on the game and speak directly to their fans and community. So feedback is frequently received and considered.
– Real player with 52.0 hrs in game